The Mage's Jump

by Marvelous Cheshire

Chapter 18

THE MAGE’S JUMP
BY MARVELOUS CHESHIRE
CHAPTER 18

“The weather team certainly pulled out all the stops today,” I mused, looking out the window into the ongoing blizzard. “I don’t think they’ve put out anything this strong all season.”

“They do tend to go a bit overboard in the last week or so of winter,” Twilight commented, levitating a mug of fresh coffee to me as she trotted into the main room. “Just means more work when it comes time to wrap up winter,” she added with a sigh.

I couldn’t help but give a light chuckle at her statement. “I still can’t get over the idea of controlling the seasons like this,” I said, taking a sip of my drink. “The wood elves would no doubt have a fit if they saw this,” I added under my breath.

“So wait, your world doesn’t have any control of the seasons? Even though you have magic?” Spike asked.

“The magic of Gaia is different from that of Equestria,” I answered. “Common spellcraft follows very specific rules, and what little magic there is that has control over the weather is a just tad too advanced for most practitioners.” I shrug. “Besides, even if we had access to such powers, most mages prefer to avoid tampering with the natural order too much.”

“Can’t say the same for the Lufenians,” Fei added in a bored tone, not looking up from her book. “They seemed to love using magic to do whatever they pleased.”

“All the more reason to not tamper with nature, just look at what happened to them,” I replied sternly, moving away from the window.

“Um, who are the Lufenians?” Spike asked. “I don’t recall you or Twi mentioning them before.”

“The ‘Ancient race’. A civilization said to have predated even the elves. Often considered to be some form of predecessor to humans, elves, and several other races throughout Gaia; as well as the first-and to some extent, only- masters of true magic.” I replied.

“Wait, I thought you said Matoya was the first mage?” Twilight interrupted.

I nodded. “She is. The first ‘modern’ mage,” I answered, downing the rest of my coffee. “By the time she had made her pilgrimage to the Dragon King’s lair, the original arcane arts were all but lost to mortals.

“Nowadays, practitioners must rely on constant study and various foci to perform any significant feats of magic.” I snapped my finger, a few sparks flying from the tips. “But the Lufenians, they lived and breathed magic. What now exists as nothing more than complex rituals, they could pull off with little more than a thought and flick of the wrist.”

I began pacing about the room. “With magic, they could build an empire, move mountains, and create fantastic machines that have long served as the basis for modern magitech on Gaia.”

I could feel my excitement growing. “And the architecture, beauty and brilliance seemingly unmatched by anything the races of Gaia have seen. I had the honor of joining a summoner in their pilgrimage to the lost continent almost a decade ago, and not even the countless centuries could truly destroy the magnificence of it all.”

Stopping, I shook my head with a sigh. “If it had not been for their fall, they may have ended up being treated much in the same way the Princesses are here.”

“If their civilization was as great as you say, then… what happened to them?” Twilight asked, intrigue evident on her face. I noticed the papyrus and inked feather ready to write down notes.

“No one truly knows,” I answered solemnly, slumping onto the couch. “Even without Chaos wiping out major parts of ancient history during his first uprising, there is little recorded knowledge of what happened to them in their final days.

“That doesn’t mean there aren’t hypotheses though.” I added. “What little info that has been discovered has lead scholars to come up with countless ideas of how they met their end,” I added, seeing Twilight’s disappointed expression. “Let’s see...” I leaned back in my seat, trying to recall all I could. “I believe the most commonly accepted theory was that their magic seemed to turn on them, some lost most of their magic, becoming the ancestors of the first humans after they were exiled.

“Others began to… change. A handful of the old ruins show evidence that suggest they took to the sky and became harpies; humanoids with bird-like legs and wings on their arms,” I added, seeing the questioning looks on Twilight and Spike. “Which would at least explain their existence on the Continent.” I waved my hand dismissively. “Though, admittedly, there’s only limited evidence to support all but the harpy theory. A few scholars would argue that it’s just the ramblings of the historians desperate to link humans to an empire as great as the Lufenians.

“Another common one arguably the most unpleasant of the bunch, is that they sought what they were never meant to have. Capturing the power of the Air Crystal to create their glorious Flying Fortress, lifting their empire into the endless Sky. However, Bahamut created the Crystals as a means to bind Chaos and maintain the balance, not aid in the affairs of mortals such as the Luenians. In his rage, he broke from his chambers and unleashed chaos and destruction upon the kingdom.” I sighed. “Struck down by the very god they revered for so long; a rather ironic end.”

Twilight and Spike’s expressions turned from intrigue to horror. “But, if they worshipped him like that, why would he turn on them!?” Spike asked. “This ‘Bahamut’ doesn’t seem like such a nice guy.”

I shook my head. “The Hallowed Father is not a god of “niceness” sadly. He is the keeper of balance and the father of magic. He exists to ensure order and chaos never overwhelm the other, and, if ever something come to upset that balance, he must take action to keep everything in check.” I looked down, the lessons of my early days coming back to me. “In many ways the mages follow the same path, though we would never go such extremes.”

“But why would he do this if all they did was create a flying fortress?” Twilight asked, her horror slowly dissolving back to her normal scholarly interest.

“As I said, they harnessed the power of the Air Crystal to create it, and such an artifact was not meant to be bound by mortal control. Bahamut would have felt its power being bound to the fortress and acted out of rage over the people of Lufenia trying to take control of it.” I let out another sigh. “I admittedly hope such a fate is false, but for the time being it serves as a cautionary tale for many, lest we fall down the same path as our predecessors.”

Seeing Twilight's melancholy expression, I quickly changed my tone “On a lighter note, there is one one theory I’ve found interesting- though sadly, it has rarely been considered by scholars- is that they may have “ascended” beyond their mortal form. Either through magic discovery or the blessing of Bahamut, they would become the first dragons of Gaia, and going on to bless the mortals with the teachings of “Draconic Magic”, such as what I practice.” I gave a small smile and snapped my fingers, creating a another series of sparks. “Perhaps they did not upset the balance, but instead proved to be faithful in the teachings of their god, taking care to prevent the actions of their people from shifting the balance too far to one side.”

I felt my excitement rise once more. “Perhaps it could even explain some of the other theories. If you go with the former cause, perhaps the humans were born of Lufenians who found their magic diminished, sparking their more powerful brethren to rush to find a way to hold on to their power. It wouldn’t have taken long for them to discover a means to change what they were, and if the god of magic is a dragon, why not mirror his form?

“Of course, no spell is perfect the first time around, and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume a group as desperate as they were might be willing to have a few “tests” done, resulting in imperfect transformations like the harpies.” I bolted from my seat, pacing about the room as ideas flowed through my mind. “But it wouldn’t take long for them find the right formula, and once they had it, they’d waste no time unleashing their last-ditch effort to “save” them from their supposed fate.

I stopped mid-step, spinning around to face my audience. “And just think of all the possibilities this could open up, not to mention the questions that would need to be answered. Why would the Lufenians’ magic begin to diminish? Could they have used the Air Crystal to power the ritual that did this? What even happened to the ritual!? It all-” I stopped as my attention, seeing the differing expressions on their faces. “Um, I got a tad carried away, didn’t I?”

“Just a bit,” Fei replied with an amused smirk. “I don’t think you’ve been so enthusiastic about something since you helped present that theory to the council.” She glanced over to Twilight. “Heh, looks like you’re not the only one.” She added.

“This is amazing!” Twilight exclaimed, ink, quill, and paper flying about as she began jotting down notes. “I’ve read most of your books, but I don’t recall any even mentioning the Lufenians. The idea of an ancient race renowned for their magic that just vanished without warning? This just begs to be researched!” Pausing from her writing, she looked up at me with a fanatic expression. “Just think, if we could solve this, there’s no telling what kind of opportunities it could open up! Please tell me you have more information?”

I couldn’t help but give an awkward chuckle. “Twilight, I’d hate to be the bearer of bad news, but… solving this mystery, apart from being borderline impossible, wouldn’t serve much good. Everything tied to it is on Gaia, and there not much chance of getting back there at this point,” I said nervously.

“...Oh, right,” she replied quietly, her expression having turned solemn. “I guess I hadn’t thought of that. You’re right. It wouldn’t do any good, given the circumstances.” With that, she sighed and slumped in her seat, the various writing materials slowly falling around her.

I winced as I watched her. ‘By the gods, I can’t stand to see her like this.’ “Well, now that I think about it, there isn’t really any harm in researching it, at least as a hobby project,” I offered calmly, her ears jolting up. “I do have all my old notes on the Lufenians, and a book or two I think. Though I believe they’re still packed in my bag with my alchemy supplies.”

“R-really?” Twilight stammered, her melancholy appearance slowly fading away.

I nodded. “I haven’t had much reason to go digging through that mess, given the lack of workspace available, so if I do have the books with me they’d have to be there.” I smiled. “Who knows, maybe you’ll find something that others have been missing for so long. And, even if we can’t connect to Gaia now-”

“-Doesn’t mean we can’t find a way in the future!” Twilight finished, her previous enthusiasm returning in full force. “In fact, if we may even be able to discover a way to recreate some of their accomplishments!” She quickly gathered her notes, bouncing in her seat. “Oooh this is going to be so exciting! When can we start?” She asked, an eager smile gracing her muzzle.

“I’ll dig the notes out tomorrow, dear,” I said, offering a smile of my own, albeit much calmer. “For now, I think it’s time I start making something for dinner.”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by sudden rumbling. “That… sounds like a good idea,” She admitted, a hint of embarrassment in her tone.

I gave a light chuckle. “It’ll be ready in a bit.” With that, I turned and headed for the kitchen.

Author's Note:

IT LIVES!
...sort of.
Keeping it on hiatus till I can get a few chapter out without a year or more between them.
As always, thanks to my wonderful editors and fellow writers in the memverse, the former of which now includes Genius101

Also, sorry to those you might be disappointed by how short the chapter is given the wait, the original idea has been shelved for now due to being stuck, and this was mostly to help me get back into the swing of things.

Till next time
Marvelous Cheshire

Comments

[josue]

6166871 http://goinswriter.com/how-to-overcome-writers-block/ this might help please do not give up on this story I do not want to see this story end up on the pile of Unfinished stories in in gaveyard called dead stories its to good for that img04.deviantart.net/3ce6/i/2013/029/1/0/lie_down__try_not_to_cry__cry_a_lot_combo_by_badflippy-d5t596e.jpg how i feel if you gave up

[Fireeaters]

Did this story change authors whilst I was turned the other way? What's going on?

[Marvelous Cheshire]

7163507 changed my name

[Marvelous Cheshire]

7163502 I'll keep that bookmarked for the future, thanks man

and don't worry, there are few things I stubborn about, but writing is one of them, it's gonna take a LOT of bullshit to get me to throw this away.

[Fireeaters]

7163531 Ah. Neato.

[Marvelous Cheshire]

10562094
It's... Unlikely at this point sadly

Part of me wants to and I still get ideas for bits of the story, but as soon as I go to write them up it's like all motivation vanishes. Doesn't help that a lot of my focus has shifted away from fanfic in the past few years.